Zuse
by Telsa
Summary: Set in Kanto 7 years after Diamond and Pearl, Zuse follows one plucky young trainer as he wanders into the unknown.
1. Chapter 1: Pilot

"Now, to get your Pokemon to attack, you shout it's name and the attack you want it to use

"Now, to get your Pokemon to attack, you shout it's name and the attack you want it to use...like this"

Misty turned to face her Starmie and commanded it to use surf on the floating target in the middle of the bay. The Starmie hesitated for a moment, registering the command. Then, it gracefully fell into the water, barely making a splash. Suddenly, it started pumping gallons of water towards the target, creating a wave that blocked it from sight. As the wave crashed into it, it was pounded by a sudden, overwhelming onslaught of water. As the wave withdrew, the target was nowhere to be seen.

I sighed. Misty was an excellent tutor, but my heart wasn't in it, and no teacher could possibly give me the same enthusiasm that hands-on, fully solo adventures in the wild would give me. "What's up?" she asked me.  
I looked up. "Nothing.." I trailed. By now, she knew me well enough to know exactly what I was feeling.

"Don't worry about it. I understand." She answered the question I couldn't bear to ask. "Here" she said, reaching a Pokeball from her backpack. "Take this. I've been expecting this moment anyway.." I reached out to take it from her, as she looked away. It was one of those rare moments where both people fully understand the situation, but neither of them knows what to do.

"Thanks.." I said awkwardly. I leant forward, giving her a hug. "You've been a great tutor."

"I'm not that great, Matt." She sighed, pulling out of the hug. "If I was, we wouldn't be skipping to this part of the process already."

"If you weren't, we wouldn't be at this part of the process already." I pointed out. She laughed.  
"You've got a point, I suppose." She started to walk back towards Cerulean. "Keep in touch." She said.  
"You can count on it" I muttered, as I watched her walking away.

I stood silently for a minute or so, considering the depth of what I'd just started. A Wingull flying overhead brought me out of my thoughts and back into the real world with a crash. I glanced at the red Pokeball nested in my hand. Gingerly, I threw it on to the sand. With a sound that would become all too familiar soon enough, I watched as a little red crab emerged from a flash of light. I smiled. Trust Misty.

The crab walked towards me slowly, trying to judge me. I carefully lowered my hand, which it met with one of its claws. It was far softer than I had imagined – part of me had been expecting to have lost a finger and be in a lot of pain right now. It shook my finger a few times, then moved onto my hand and started climbing my arm. I watched amazed as it made its way past my shoulder and settled wrapped around my neck. Words didn't need to be spoken. I'd made a new friend.

"I thought you'd never ask!" exclaimed my mother. I was shocked; no one could have predicted that she'd say that. "I was beginning to think you'd be happy living here all your life…" she trailed off. I noted the underlying hatred of our house here, but chose to pass comment.

"Was this Ireally/I all you got from Misty?" My dad asked cheekily. I blushed. Everyone in town thought we were more than just friends.

"Dad!" I exclaimed. "For the last time, we're just good friends."

"Sure you are son. Good for you. Women just cause you nothing but trouble. Anyway, what's the deal with this thing anyway?" He glanced at the Krabby with a slight look of hatred. The Krabby didn't take too kindly to this and drew back, ready to fight. I looked at it sharply and it relaxed again.

"It's a Krabby, dad. One of my favourite Pokemon?.." I said.

"Why couldn't you have gotten something awesome? Like a Staryu or a Dratini or something?" he asked.

"Dad, no-one's seen a Dratini in Kanto for years, and I hate Staryu. They feel weird." I replied. "Anyway, so what do I need for this wee expedition?"

Wee expedition was hardly a fitting description. I was leaving home for a long time. I'd need a few things.  
"Oh, don't you worry about that. I've got it covered." My mum answered. She walked out of the room, emerging moments later with a backpack that looked like it was about to explode. "There's loads of stuff here. Food, a tent, some cooking equipment, change of clothes and shoes, a nice warm coat…" she listed off a few things from the top of the bag; doubtless there were countless more layers of things I'd never use hidden underneath. I took the bag, thanking her as I went. Time for a reshuffle.

By the time I'd finished repacking the bag, I'd lightened it quite a bit. I'd taken out the tent, the utensils, a large coat, several CDs and various other bits and pieces. Now all that remained were two full changes of clothing, three belts, a sleeping bag, a laptop computer that I'd modified a bit to be able to connect to the internet anywhere and charge efficiently using solar power, a notebook full of blank paper and a couple of pens. I also had an iPod, my wallet and my phone to carry in my pockets. "Are you sure you won't need this stuff? I don't want you buying it again in some market because you couldn't be bothered to carry it for a while." My mother asked. I assured her that I wouldn't, and settled in to bed. It would be a while until I did this again…

Ten Days later, somewhere on Route 9:

A twig cracked and snapped as I walked over it. Although I'd been walking in the mountains for days, I still jumped in surprise. I'd never get used to it. I looked down at my belt. There was the red Pokeball containing the little red crab, Krabby. Well, it wasn't quite so little any more. It had grown and could barely walk up my arm anymore, let alone settle around my neck. I sighed, thinking about what had happened in the past few days. A false start, after I had to turn back a day in to my adventure having forgotten my wallet, my phone and my iPod. Krabby had been in quite a few battles with Rattata and Spearow, but didn't seem to be suffering at all from all the fighting. In fact, it seemed to feed on it, growing stronger as it fought more. Already, it had learned one of Mistys favourite attacks, bubblebeam. When I told her she didn't seem surprised. I decided it was better not to ask why.

Another twig snapped. This time it wasn't me stepping on it. I turned around to see a beast of a man, almost as big as a mountain, peering down at me. He was dressed in proper mountain gear, and carried a sturdy looking walking stick with him. I glanced at his belt, and my expression dropped slightly as I saw three Pokeballs attached to it. The hiker laughed and threw one at the ground not far from me. I blinked as a burst of life hit my eyes, and when I reopened them there was a rock with arms, a mouth and two eyes lying still on the ground. A Geodude. I smiled slightly and released Krabby from its ball. Without thinking, I ordered it to use Bubblebeam and the Geodude was assaulted by a barrage of bubbles.

"Whoa, Nelly!" exclaimed the hiker with a hearty chuckle. "You're a bit eager!" he said, struggling to contain his laughter. I winced. The hiker hadn't been looking for a battle at all.


	2. Chapter 2: A Hiking Hand, Part 1

Wait…what

Wait…what?" I asked, utterly bewildered. If he had sent out the Pokemon, but not wanted a battle, what the hell was he doing?

The Hiker continued to laugh, setting down his large backpack.

"I take it you're new to this whole thing?" he asked.

"Yeah…" I muttered.

"Don't worry son. I'm used to this from you city folk." The hiker said reassuringly. "Especially the young ones. You all jump the gun a bit….still, nothing like sharp reactions, eh?" He reached into his bag, pulling out a potion of some sort. He sprayed the Geodude with it once and returned the now empty container to his bag. The Geodude stirred, lifting itself off the ground with its rough fists. It lowered itself, cracked its knuckles once and wandered back to the Hiker. The Hiker explained briefly to the Pokemon what had happened and the Pokemon took a cheerful expression not unlike the one resting on the Hikers face. "The name's Mark" he told me, extending a hand the size of a dinner plate.  
"Matt" I replied, returning the shake.

"So, Matt" the Hiker began. "Where you headed?" I looked at him and answered truthfully.  
"I don't really know. I'm just wandering through this place." I said, looking around. There was nowhere to go, really. We were in the middle of a valley lined with trees.

"Not a wise idea, son. You should always have a plan, even if it's just a rough one. Also, try and tell someone at the other end that you're headed out, so if you're not there at least someone will notice." Mark looked at me, giving me advice that had no doubt been given to every trainer who had answered similarly. He noticed the look on my face and laughed. "I know, I've given this advice before" he started. "But I wouldn't be giving it if it wasn't good advice. Anyway, most folks passing through here are headed out to the Rock Tunnel, which is just along the way you're headed now. There's a Pokemon centre outside it, you can't miss it. If you pushed on ahead you'd make it there before sundown. If you look closely enough, you'll see the Power Station on the other side of the river. I've heard they're in need of a hand, but I'm not the one to extend it, and from what I've seen of you, you're not either." He glanced at me. "Nothing personal, kid. But you're too inexperienced to be able to. You've only got one Pokemon, and it's a water type. Walking into a Power Plant with an Electric infestation would be suicide." I sighed. He was right, of course. This didn't curb my enthusiasm, however, and I vowed to return one day, even if only to look. "Anyway, I'd best be off." The hiker lifted his huge rucksack. Then he remembered something and lowered it again. He opened another pocket and removed a pokeball. He threw it to me, and surprisingly I caught it. "Take this kid, and don't forget me." He swung the bag onto his back and looked at the Geodude. "C'mon you" he ordered, walking away. The Geodude obediently followed.

I looked at the Pokeball I'd caught, and took my phone out of my pocket. I dialled Misty's number…engaged. She wasn't going to pick up any time soon. I'd have to wait for her to return my call. I attached the Pokeball to my belt, sighed, called the Krabby and started to walk towards the Pokemon centre.


	3. Chapter 3: Public Access

I almost laughed

I almost laughed. The Hiker was right, of course. The sun was just starting to set as I reached the unmissable Pokemon centre. It was lit up brighter than a thousand suns, a veritable beacon for all the lost trainers in the woods. I approached the automatic doors and noiselessly they slid, opening up a portal into world of heat, light, and like-minded people. As I walked in, I was approached by a Blissey that took the Pokeballs from my belt. I almost objected, but then I noticed the Pokemon Centre mark on its egg pouch. The Blissey waddled off, taking them to a counter where a stunning woman with pink hair delicately inserted them into a machine. She must have been one of the countless female members of the Joy family. I smiled and forced my eyes away. There were tables and bookshelves taking up the floorspace. There were a couple of vending machines, and in the top right hand corner of the room lay a couple of very expensive looking computers. There were three or four other people mingling about with each other, relaxing. I could see a young boy no older than eleven chatting with an athletic looking young man, and another Hiker nowhere near the size of Mark was chatting with an old woman. I glanced again and saw a young girl in some sort of scouts uniform standing in a corner alone. I ignored them all, and went to the vending machine. I was starving.

I glanced at the rows of snacks and drinks available. There was also a coffee machine that looked well used, with stains all over the counter. Strangely though, there were no battered cups or used stirrers or sugar packets lying near them. This wouldn't have been odd if there was no bin…  
"Don't worry about it. The Pokemon take care of that." A feminine voice whispered in my ear. I turned around and it was the same pink haired nurse. "Your Pokemon are fine. However…" she began. My heart sank. I couldn't have thought there would be a problem. "In this one.." she said, reaching out an indistinguishable Pokeball. "there's an egg. Why do you have it in a Pokeball? It'll never hatch in there." She released the egg from the Pokeball and handed both back to me. "Return the Pokemon to the ball when it's hatched. It's a rough looking egg, so it's probably a ground or a rock type inside it. Keep the egg in your bag wrapped in a coat or something. Check it every few hours to see if it's hatched. It's not far from that stage now." She turned and walked away, leaving me, not for the first time today, absolutely bewildered. I reached for my phone, but remembered, and left it in my pocket. I'd have to wait.

I went to one of the empty tables and sat down, placing my bag on the floor. I took my laptop out and put the egg into a hoodie that I had stored in my bag. I opened the lid of the laptop and it burst into life, almost blinding me with the sharp blue welcome screen. I muttered some unrepeatable words at it and lowered the brightness. Logging on, I opened my emails. 43 unread, mostly from my mother. I read a few of them but soon lost the enthusiasm and started skipping them. Among the emails, I found one from a friend wishing me luck with the journey and a notification that I had three days to tell a group what I was up to or I'd be forcibly removed. Glancing at the sent date, I smiled. It had been sent four days ago. I closed the email program and opened the internet browser. As I was about to log on to one of the various social networking sites, I heard footsteps behind me.

"Hey mister…" it was the girl who had stood alone in the corner. No wonder. Her voice did my head in. "Can I bowwow your laptawp?" I glanced again at the laptop, with it's multitude of unsuitable bookmarks and pictures.  
"Umm…no" I answered confidently. She knew there was no changing my mind and shuffled away. I turned the laptop off, put it back into my bag, which I swung over my shoulder and decided to check out the public access computers.

I was greeted with a login screen. I didn't have an account. I was about to turn away when I saw a small notice. It read:

First time users type first initial and last name. Follow instructions

I typed in my name and pressed enter. I expected it to ask for a password, but when it crosschecked the username with the system and couldn't find a match it commenced an account-making program. Within minutes, I was connected to this network. Upon my first log in, it gave me a basic guide to the program, and linked me to the Pokemon Centre information area. I found out that all Pokemon centres are laid out the same, but I didn't care. I read something about free, private beds. I logged off and went in search of a nightcap.

It didn't take long to find. I climbed a set of stairs and saw a room with a key in the outside, or corridor, lock. I went up to it, turn the key and forced the handle down. The door didn't respond. I looked at the door, and realised I'd locked it. With a slight groan, I unlocked it and opened the door. I was looking at a very bare room. It had a bed, a table with a light, a small cabinet and a window, with a very new looking wooden floor. The walls were white and everything seemed unnaturally clean. The sheets on the bed were perfectly made, and the cabinet looked like it had never even been used. I took the key from the lock. It slid out noiselessly. I went into the room and put it back in the other side. As I closed the door, I could hear shouting from another room. I thought nothing of it, locking the door. As a precaution, I left the key in the lock. Thank God I did.


	4. Chapter 4: Unlock'd

I awoke with a start

I awoke with a start. It was still dark outside. I glanced at my phone, lying on the table. 01:42. I'd only been asleep for a couple of hours. I was about to go back to sleep when I heard the key that I'd left in the lock being…pushed backwards? No. It couldn't be. Could it?

My question was soon answered. The key slid out of the lock and spun around twice on the wooden floor, before hitting it with a thud. A voice on the other side of the door swore, but it was muffled and I could hardly hear it at all. The handle was pushed down. I closed my eyes, pretending to be asleep, with my hand settling around the Pokeball that had my Krabby kept safely within. The door was forced open and footsteps walked up to me. Convinced I was asleep, the invader walked towards my bag. I made my move then. Simultaneously, I released Krabby and switched on the light. As the Krabby materialised between the door and the invader, I saw a short figure dressed in black standing over the table. The face looked slightly feminine, but it was rather hard to tell. I could only see the eyes.

The figure moved its hand up to its mouth and removed the headscarf. I saw the face of the little girl who I wouldn't give my laptop to staring back at me. She unleashed a Zubat, running out of the room as she did. I jumped out of bed and followed her into the corridor. She was running towards a dead end. As the Pokemon emerged from the room, quite confused about the whole thing, she called her Zubat over to her. I got Krabby between it and me. A Pokemon battle! I was shocked.  
"This is what happens if you don't share" she said. Her voice had changed, and she no longer had a speech impediment. "Zubat, use Supersonic!" The blind bat opened its mouth, with a sound so high I couldn't hear it. But it drove Krabby insane. I ordered it to use vicegrip, but it just hit the claw off itself. I winced. Krabby was confused, and I had nothing to make it catch a grip. The Zubat used this time to fly towards Krabby at a high speed. I told it to dodge but it didn't move. Zubat bit Krabby, making it fall backwards slightly. Zubat flew around the room twice, settling beside its owner. She commanded it to use Bite again, and as it flew I told Krabby to use Bubblebeam as forcibly as it could. The bubbles collided with the small bat and knocked it out. It fell like a brick from the sky, crashing down to the ground with a thud. The girl was so disgusted with the Pokemon that she didn't return it to the ball. Throughout the corridor was the sound of locks being unlocked and doors being opened. Cries of "What's going on?" and "Hey, where's my stuff?" echoed around the corridor. People ran up to me, directing these questions at me.  
"I'll explain everything if we all just calm down…" I tried to assess the situation. There was a small pile of belongings gathered near the staircase. I'd just been in my first trainer Pokemon battle in a Pokemon Centre, and…I looked at where the girl had been standing. She had slipped away. Unsurprising. She had left the Zubat lying on the floor.

Once everyone had calmed down sufficiently, I explained the whole series of events from my perspective. Once I'd finished, a wave of silence hit the room.  
"Hey kid, that was pretty damn impressive." Said the second Hiker I'd met that day. "What did you say yer name was?"  
"I didn't." I smiled. "It's Matt."


	5. Chapter 5: A Hiking Hand, Part 2

It was just after three the next afternoon when I set out from the Pokemon centre

It was just after three the next afternoon when I set out from the Pokemon centre. Normally, I wouldn't have considered leaving that late, but there were two rather major reasons. The first was that as I was heading into a cave, there would be no worries if it was dark outside, since it'd be darker inside. And two, I was being accompanied by the two hikers I'd met previously. Mark and the younger of the pair, Sam. It turned out that they were brothers who lived in the mountains and as a result knew every nook and cranny of the local terrain between Cerulean and Lavender, which I was told would be the next place I should go.

We walked up to the entrance of the cave. A gaping hole in a steep rock face, where Wingull and Tailow amongst other bird Pokemon nested. Fair play to them. I couldn't imagine how difficult it would be to have to build a nest for myself up there. As we approached the entrance, the stones got larger and rougher, attacking my feet through the laughably thin Converse sole. I had to bear it though. Nothing much I could do now. I could hear a constant dripping sound, bouncing off the huge cave walls, echoing around the vast, empty cavern. While in reality it was nothing more than a small drop of water, with the echo it sounded almost like a waterfall was gushing through the cave. As we walked in, the temperature fell and all light suddenly disappeared into the dark void of the cave. I reached for my phone, activating the inbuilt light function. Sam laughed at the pathetic beam of light it offered in the hearty tone that his brother shared. It must be a family thing.  
"Here kid, take this" he said, handing me a powerful torch as his voice chased itself across the void. I turned it on, and was almost blinded. I was so close to the cave wall that the light bounced off the wall and into my eyes. Sam and Mark grinned, having hung back, as if they knew exactly where it was.

"Well son, this is where we leave you" said Mark.

I was horrified. They'd not guided me at all – just given me a torch and taken me to a wall at the start of the cave.

"But.." I started to object. Mark hushed me.  
"Shush, son. What've I told you about jumping the gun?" He asked with a hint of superiority.  
"I see what you mean, brother." Agreed Sam.

"Now, if you take a moment to consider where we are, you'll look down." Mark told me to look at the point where the wall met the cave floor – inches from my feet. "Now point the torch a bit to the right…that's it." He spoke as I moved my torch, telling me to stop as the torch revealed a very discreet little passage in the cave wall.  
"Follow that, and you'll be at Lavender in no time." Said Sam. I turned round and they were walking away. I sighed, and fell to my knees, crawling into the hole.

I'd been crawling for what seemed like hours. There wasn't much else to do. It was a case of keep moving or die. The tunnel wasn't much larger than me and I was pushed for space. Then… I put my hand in front of me, clawing at where the tunnel should continue. I found my hand meeting a ledge, and then it was hanging in the air. I turned the torch back on and saw that the tunnel had emerged about three feet above the cave floor. I looked to my right and saw a gentle slope falling into the jaws of the cave. I looked to my right and about one hundred feet away was the night sky, light up by a full moon and countless stars. I pulled my watch out of my pocket – I put it in to prevent it getting scratched. I'd been crawling for just under two hours. And I'd cut what could have been days off my journey. And, again, I owed it to the Hikers. I tried to jump out of my perch, but my foot caught a stray rock in the cave and I fell into the tunnel, landing on my face. Luckily, I wasn't the first to do such a thing and the ground nearby wasn't as hard as the rest of the tunnel floor. But it was still enough to break the torch that the Hikers had given me. It cracked loudly and the beam of light fizzled out like a dying fire. I checked I had everything else, and started walking towards the light at the end of the tunnel.


	6. Chapter 6: Eerie Inhabitants

I don't know if you've ever walked in to Lavender Town, but those who have would agree it's one of the eeriest experiences of

I don't know if you've ever walked in to Lavender Town, but those who have would agree it's one of the eeriest experiences of their lives. It's something to do with the quaint little town being set in a sharp valley, with a massive tower where people bury their dead Pokemon overshadowing the town the majority of the time. Many report sightings of ghostly Pokemon as they approach the town. There's something haunting about the experience, if you'll pardon the pun.

I looked again at my watch. The hands weren't moving…how long had I been in the cave for? I took my phone out. The time on it read 8:37…I'd been crawling for five hours, not two! I climbed to the top of the hill, emerging from the cave.

A cool breeze twisted itself around my ankles. The wind caused the trees to rustle gently. I looked around me, slightly nervously. I could see Lavender, nestled safely among exposed rocks and forest. A path winded down from the cave mouth to the small town. I could see the tower standing ominously in the middle of the town. I shivered and set off almost at a run down the path.

I was about a third of the way down the path when, in the gentle light created by the silver moon, a tree trunk fell into the path ten or so yards from where I was. I was surprised; I swore and jumped backwards as it fell with a crash. Somewhere, from beyond the trees, I heard a ghostly laughter. I threw the Pokeball containing Krabby down on the ground, watching as the burst of light illuminated the surrounding area for a brief second. Floating above the trunk was a dark cloud of some sort. As the light faded, it drew closer….

"Krabby, use bubblebeam at that thing!" I shouted, and a stream of powerful bubbles emerged from the crab's mouth, flying directly towards the cloud…the cloud seemed unfazed by the attack and carried on towards us regardless. I recalled Krabby, grabbing the ball and attaching it to my belt in one swift movement. I ran literally for my life from that scene, fearing the worst from the unidentified enemy. I turned a sharp corner, and fell down a steep hill. I passed out.

When I came to, I found myself lying in a ditch, covered in mud. Cautiously, I drew my head upwards. I glanced around. It was nowhere to be seen. The mud had broken my fall, but I was still cut and bruised rather badly…I picked myself up. My legs were screaming in agony but I ignored the pain and forced myself to the top of the ditch. I looked around. I was on the outskirts of Lavender town. I approached one of the nearby houses and leant against it for support. I looked into the street. It was empty, except for an old woman pushing a pram walking away from me. I closed my eyes for a second to get them in focus, and by the time I reopened them she had disappeared. I shrugged it off, blaming my fatigue and started to look around the town. To my right there was an information booth. Unsurprisingly, it was closed, although a stray town map was lying on the pavement outside it. I picked it up and glanced at it. I wasn't far from the Pokemon Centre. I struggled to find it, and as I finally located it I fell through the doors with a sigh of relief, passing out for the second time that day as I hit the ground.


	7. Chapter 7: Feeling Grey

I woke up in a room not dissimilar to the one I'd stayed in just one night previously

I woke up in a room not dissimilar to the one I'd stayed in just one night previously. As I opened my eyes, I found that, once again, I was looking at a bare room. It had a bed, which I was lying in, right beside a low window. To my right I found small a table with a light, and there was a cabinet beside the door, with a wooden floor meeting a skirting board that ran along the room, hugging the floor. Along the wall in front of me, there was a radiator and a picture of Pokemon Tower in its prouder days. However, as I looked more carefully, I noticed subtle differences. The floor looked battered and old, and the window was scratched and dirty. The bed creaked as I moved myself around to get a look at the wobbly three-legged table, and the cabinet looked as though someone had had a fight with it and won. The room had a distinct air of coldness in it, as though someone had forgotten to turn the heating on, although as I got out of bed, with a loud groan of disapproval from the tired mattress, and walked towards it with my hand out, I felt the heat radiating off it, like rays of sunshine. As I pulled my hand away from the radiator, the heat disappeared inexplicably, as though sucked into a void. I turned around, and my eyes met those of the spectre, which had caused me so much peril earlier in the evening. I felt my heart stop as it laughed in its supernatural pitch. For the third time that day, I blanked out. Somewhere, I sighed. This was starting to become tiresome.

I mustn't have been out for long, as when I started to regain my senses this time I could still feel the waves of coldness that the still unidentified spectre dispensed from its unnatural body. I heard a voice calling out to me.  
"Dude, c'mon….man, this ain't funny" I opened my eyes to see a relieved looking goth standing over me, with his long black hair covering his face, and his leather trenchcoat hiding the majority of his body. From below it came two huge boots, with soles that raised his height by at least six inches.

"Oh thank God" sighed the goth. "I thought my tricks had gone wrong.." he trailed as he noticed the anger bursting from my face.

"Tricks?!" I yelled. "Your tricks have almost killed me twice today!"

"Woah dude, chill. Gastly and me were only having a bit of fun." At this point, the floating black orb/cloud thing shifted. I watched as its particles combined, eventually forming one solid black orb with slanted eyes and a large mouth, with a pocket of gas loosely covering its body. "Oh, and mate, turn the heat up a bit." The Gastly's colour changed slightly as it became lighter, closing the void of its body that sucked the heat in. A sudden burst of warmth grasped me. "Well mate, I guess I owe you an apology. I'll be seein' ya around." Speechless, I watched as he wandered out of the room.

I struggled to my feet. My body was still bruised and battered, but my mind was wide awake. I propped myself up against the wall for support. Who was that goth? Why me? Where the hell was I? I slowly walked to the door, peering out. I was at the end of a dark corridor. There were more doors dotted along it irregularly, each with a number outside it and a wall mounted checkboard of some kind beside the handle. Was I in some medical facility? My question was soon answered as a tall man in a lab coat turned up the corridor. As he walked, the coat flapped in the wind. He wore an emotionless expression, and his eyes were covered dark glasses. He had three pens in a shirt pocket, and had a short grey and red tie around his neck. He stopped a couple of doors down, looking at one of the clipboards. I looked to his belt. There were no Pokeballs, but there was a holster attached to it… He saw me out of the corner of his eye and started to approach me.

"Hey, can you tell me where I am?" I asked as he towered over me.  
"I'm sorry, but I'm not authorised to do that. Get your bag and come with me." He was ordering me, not asking. I had no option but to obey. Without turning from him, I backed into the room and got my bag. Swinging it over my shoulder, I tried again.  
"Can you at least tell me where I'm going?" I asked, not expecting any real answer.

"You're coming with me." He said bluntly. I sighed. How clichéd. This guy was nothing more than a Police force reject being rough at his security guard desk job. I raised this point with him..

"Do you actually have any power? What's stopping me from just walking out of this dump?" If it hadn't been for his tinted glasses, I would have noticed a glint in his eye.  
"Just try it, kid. Let's see how far you get." He said. He started walking up the corridor. Begrudgingly, I followed.

It was like nowhere I'd ever been before. I was in a dull building of corridor after corridor. However, every time we approached a corner, flight of stairs, or other noteable architectural feature, a swipe card was required to open glass and metal doors. My guide didn't say a word until he opened a door, pointing his arm in to show me the way. As I entered, looking at a bare room with a table and few wooden benches, he closed it.  
"Sit tight kid. Someone'll be here soon." He said.

"Don't have much of a say in the matter…" I mumbled, long after he'd gone.

I took a seat on the nearest bench. I put my bag beside me. What the hell was I doing here? Who was that loser that brought me here? Why isn't the Goth guy here with me? Lost in thought, I hardly heard the door as it was flung open.  
"You're the kid with the laptop, right?" asked a nerdy looking scientist with the same grey and red tie around his neck. His was at least twice the length, and perfectly in line with his shirt. He had brown hair with a bowl cut, and wore really old looking glasses that made him look really stereotypical.  
"Woah dude, be a bit more specific. I'm not a kid, and a lot of people have laptops these days." I answered. I was in a fowl mood, and this nerd wasn't going to get away with anything lightly. He sniffed and pushed his glasses up his nose slightly, although I was willing to bet it made no difference.

"We know you've got a laptop, and it does things we want to know." He said, sounding like he was using up the last of his patience to explain this to me.  
"Like what?" I asked innocently.  
"Its got technology we need." He sighed.

"Well, why didn't you take it when I was out cold?" I probed. Another sigh. This guy should have been an actor.

"Because we couldn't get your password.."  
"You mean you, a nerd, couldn't get my password?" I asked, mockingly.

"You're using a custom built OS. It's like nothing we've ever seen before. Our technology, of which I can assure you there is plenty, is useless." He explained.

"And If I don't unlock it and show you around..?" I asked.

"We'll keep you prisoner until you do. We'll let you go if you just do it." He gave me the choices. I decided to boot the system.  
"What do you want to know?" I asked, firing up the system. While he was looking at the start up screen, I inserted a memory stick into the slot at the back, hoping he wouldn't notice. I loaded the system, and activated a program that I'd written just in case this happened. It ran in the background, but copied all the most important files to the pen drive. I tried to keep the nerd talking.  
"So umm…what are you looking for? I've passworded most of the files, so you'll need to be specific.." I was really just playing for time. I hadn't bothered passwording the files.  
"What we're most interested in is the solar panel technology. We don't care about the laptop, but we could use it for…other things." I opened a program and guided him through it. I explained how it worked and whatnot. The nerd looked amazed; he'd never seen anything like it. As I finished, he couldn't help himself.  
"It's remarkable. It's incredibly simple, yet incredibly efficient. I've never seen anything like it." He finished.  
"That'll be all. You can go now." He handed me a piece of paper with instructions on how to exit scrawled on it. I reached for the pen drive. I caught it, and slid it out of the slot and up my sleeve…  
"What are you doing?" he asked.  
"Umm…turning it off?" I said.  
"No…leave it on…" he trailed. He was still speechless from my little program. I smiled. I probably could have made a killing if I'd gone commercial. I started to lift the laptop. "No. It stays." He said.  
"To be honest mate, I don't think you can stop me here."  
"I can." Came a rough voice from the door. It was a bouncer in a black suit with an earpiece – wearing the same bloody tie. Had these guys no fashion sense? I put the laptop down and started to leave the building, hoping the pen drive contained the information I needed, or rather didn't want them to find.


End file.
